TheBanyanTree: counting my blessings

[Juanita Hazelton]

It started with a little smothery feeling in the night -- not enough to
really be concerned about, enough to make me get up and sit up for a while
until it went away.  A few weeks later it continued with exhaustion and
swelling ankles and legs, rapid pulse and fluctuating high blood pressures,
a little tightness in the chest.  So I did the thing I'm supposed to do -- 
went to my diabetic doctor, went to the heart specialist, had EKGs, chest
x-ray, echocardiogram, ansar test, stress test, and heart cath.  Lots of
money -- glad I have insurance.

I'll be 62 in June,  I thought it wasn't quite fair to have my warranty
running out before I'm officially old (enough to retire, that is!).  Well,
the warranty hasn't run out yet.  I have a clean heart -- no blockage!
Imagine that at my age!  What I do have is something called diastolic
insufficiency -- a "stiff heart".  High blood pressure evidently makes the
heart contract stiffly.  Fluid can build up.  Meds can take care of it.

I'm counting my blessings -- and doing those other things I was supposed to
do all along: low carb diet, exercise, learning to de-stress myself at work
by taking all my lunch hour and walking for part of it, taking a vacation
before summer story time activities hit.

We take our bodies so much for granted - we don't really believe the family
heritage will catch us up.  But it will eventually.

Nothing like a little nudge from nature to make one strengthen that will
power!

Juanita